“Love this energy, can’t teach that”: Duke fans breath sigh of relief as Cooper Flagg returns to bench despite injury in Duke vs. Georgia Tech

Cooper Flagg left Duke's ACC Tournament quarterfinal clash against Georgia Tech with a sprained ankle on Thursday. However, the injury may not be severe, to the relief of college hoops fans.

ESPN shared a video of the freshman star returning to the bench and cheering on his team on X (formerly Twitter).

"Despite being ruled out of the game with an ankle injury, Cooper Flagg is on the bench supporting his teammates," the post was captioned.

Fans in the comments section showed their relief that the freshman star, who has led the Blue Devils to a stellar regular season, was back on the bench.

"Man I love this energy you can't teach that that's just heart," a fan wrote.

"Teamwork. Cooper Flagg - legend," another fan wrote.

"Good man, good team player. Wishing him the best recovery," a fan commented.

Here are more comments from fans showering praise on Flagg.

"Love to see the team spirit! Hope he recovers quickly!" a fan wrote.

"Hope he recovers quickly, any team in the pros would be very lucky to have him!" another fan wrote.

"He’s walking and standing I could cry from relief," a fan commented.

Cooper Flagg injury update: How long will the Duke star be out?

Duke freshman Cooper Flagg exited Thursday's ACC Tournament game after sustaining a left ankle injury. Flagg had attempted to grab a rebound but landed on a Georgia Tech player's ankle and went down to the floor in pain.

The Blue Devil star was helped off the floor by teammates and went back to the locker room. He was ruled out of the game shortly afterward. Later, Flagg was spotted in a wheelchair with his left ankle swollen upon returning from the X-ray room. He then returned to the bench to cheer on his teammates for the rest of the game.

The official timeline for his return is not certain.

"Cooper sprained his ankle. X-rays were negative, which was great," Duke coach Jon Scheyer said after the game. "We just have to understand there's going to be swelling and to see how he recovers and how he goes from there."

Top-ranked Duke (29-3) defeated Georgia Tech 78-70 to advance to the next round in the tournament. Should he not make it to the next round, he would have to focus on recovering enough to play in the NCAA Tournament next week.